Having spent many a delirious day in Portland, Oregon and enjoying ready access to this employee-owned brewery, I was delighted to find it available here in the Washington, DC area. Additionally, my increasing devotion to Cascadian dark ales (aka Black IPA), made this discovery more enjoyable.

The opening looks promising: a vibrant head of sponge emitting a nutty aroma; the body is a dark ruby color with orange splotches reflecting light at the bottom of the glass. There is no lacing as the head quickly slips away. The nose is overwhelmed by a massive pine blast, peppered with minor crumbs of raisin, spice and orange. Meanwhile … down in the palate, there is an initiation of lemongrass followed by a crisp maltiness, one which builds as the quaff ensues.

There is a fine structure that holds it all together as there is no single ingredient that stands alone; they all unite to prove the drinker a complex, yet comfortable experience. Great beer from a great brewery/ Full sail ahead to Beervana! (1,010 characters)

Taste: Opens with an abundance of roasted malt, then citric hops rise to ascendency. Along the way, bitter cocoa, and cold coffee present. The citric hops have an aspect more of bitter orange rind than grapefruit. Late in the taste, there is a subtle sweet chocolate, brief but notable. Finishes with a lingering, moderate hop presence.

Mouth fee: Smooth soft, and very full, with an almost creamy aspect.

Drinkability/notes: Very good, and quite a bargain at less than five dollars for a bomber.

Presentation: Packaged in a stand twenty-two ounce brown glass bomber with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

Sourcing: Purchased at Spec's in Texas in January of 2013 for $4.99/22 oz bomber. (957 characters)

This is not so interesting a black ale, to me. It looks a lot thinner than any black ale I have seen, to date. Flavor profile is...okay. A lot of this really strikes me more as a brown ale than a black ale. There are some hop characteristics that pop in at the end of this, but it really isn't enough to save the experience. A nice "beer" to drink, but not really all that great as a black ale. (394 characters)

I'm still having a ton of fun exploring this style, lots of talk of what it is supposed to be and different regions making their own path. Full Sail clearly pulls it off here ... not that I had any doubt. (509 characters)

A: The black ale is much more of a darker caramel brown, a dark nonetheless. The mysteriousness leads to a merely wispy head, never much worth mentioning. As opaque as a press conference.

S: Nicely roasted, the ale has a dark nose that doesn't skimp on the sweetness with chocolate in strong supply. Piney citrus is a sharp counterpoint to the black ale base, a welcome change of pace. Anxious for a first sip.

T: And I think that Full Sail nailed this one. The darker malts are austere, minimal with burnt toast and chocolate driving it. The hoppiness is a stark departure, adding tropical flavors and pine to the mix. The hops are more of a supporting act, content to not have to lead the beer. The mix of malt and hops drives minty flavors along with grapefruit, pine, and deep roast. I'm happy to report that this is the first Full Sail bottle that I was really into. Strong mix of the grapefruit hops and roasted malts.

M: The contrast of sweet and scorched is impressive, the darker malts drawing out the sweeter hops everytime. This one I liked. (1,101 characters)

A: It's not completely black, but a really dark ruby color. It is perfectly clear and boasts a mocha colored head that sits as a thin later on top of the beer.

S: I get slight pineapple behind a wall of tangerine and grapefruit and a tiny bit of roasted caramel malt. This beer smells wonderful.

T: The first thing that I pick up are equal amounts of somewhat sweet caramel and roasted malt, and a shot of bitterness up front. The mid-palate and finish is where the clementine/honey tangerine hop flavor dominates and carries though, lasting well after the finish.

M: I can feel the carbonation dancing on my tongue, as it is well carbonated. It has a medium body, bordering on full bodied as it coats the palate well.

D: Five months ago, I would have no qualms about drinking many of these. Today, I'll just stick with one due to a new diet. That said, it drinks very nicely. (880 characters)

Look: Dark brown and not quite opaque. Nice 1/2 inch tan head with good retention no lacing

Smell: Very sweet on the nose and it reminds me of a flower garden also has some roasted malt on the nose

Taste: The taste upfront is very floral from the hops. The malt kicks in on the backend to balance the beer just a bit and provide some bitter chocolate and some roasted coffee notes

Mouthfeel: Medium body and high carbonation with a dry bitter finish

Overall: My experiences with CDA's in the past lead me to believe that this one feel short. I was hoping for a touch more hops and at just 65 IBU's it is just not enough for the style. Also the other CDA's I have had were a tad bit more complex in flavor and a hell of alot darker in color. Again the Full Sail Brewmaster's Reserve just continues to disappoint me. (818 characters)

I would classify this as an American brown that is slightly on steroids. Malt contribution is very much in line with my expectations for an American brown combined with a very strong Cascade hop presence. Definitely balanced towards the hops, but not a hop bomb. Overall, quite enjoyable. (288 characters)

Seems to be a lot of consensus on this one. That's a good sign considering this was my first foray into the "Black IPA" realm.

THE LOOK of Full Sail's "Cascadian Dark Ale" (don't go calling it a Black IPA now!!!) is good, in my opinion. It looks like watered-down coffee, which doesn't sound good but is a nice color for a beer. It could pass for a very light porter a barleywine, or possibly a deep brown ale. Good thing it's not labeled a "black" IPA, actually, given it's dark bronze/red color. The head is malty and stone colored, and identical to a good IPA--which is a nice contrast to the dark body.

THE SMELL is the high point of this beer. It is a very intense citrus ("grapefruit", as others have noticed). There is also a hint of raisin, cocoa, and smoke. Truthfully, Bump In The Night smells like an excessively hopped winter ale.

THE TASTE goes from the initial chocolate/cocoa quickly to intense hop, finishing with a very slight chocolate malt flavor. Hmmm, this tastes like a winter ale to me. I bet I could duplicate this flavor by mixing 3/4 strong IPA with 1/4 strong porter. Still good, but expecting something slightly more dramatic.

THE FEEL is medium-full with a dry, snappy finish. Solid.

CONCLUSION: This was my first Black IPA, I mean, Cascadian Dark Ale. Twas good stuff. I found this more enjoyable and interesting than a straight IPA, which can be tiring towards the end of a 22 oz'er. I would have liked it to be less winter warmer-ish though. (1,478 characters)

black as night with a towering three inches of chocolate colored foam on the top of the glass. Settling slowly it left behind tons of brown lace up and down the glass. Aroma is piney hops and rich roasted malts. Touches of peat and campfire like tones coming through. Nice feel, medium carbonation and heavy enough to keep me intrested, but not overally full. Nice opening bite of piney hops come across quite nicely with a delicate dryness and touches of light hops. Quickly the roasted malts take over and offer lots of smokey and rich malty notes. Light chocolate starts to come through in the dry finish and leaves the palate searching as to which flavor dominated the most but the last gasp goes to a deep, smokey malt (723 characters)

Wasatch threw this one in as an extra in one of our trades. Thanks, John.

Bump in the night has a dark brown body with ruby highlights and a pretty big, brown head. Retention and lacing are both pretty good.

Pretty fruity nose, with a bit of black bread and some citrus scent from hops.

Bump in the Night is a little bit weird. I think the strongest flavor might actually be the slight, generic, fruit notes from the ale yeast. It leads of with some grassy flavors and light citrus hops, which is followed by some bitterness. The middle is dominated by the yeast, and next comes a little bit of a coffee and maybe a little bit of roasted malt flavor. Black bread finds its way in there also, but just a barely. The finish brings some more bitterness.

Appearance: At first glance it's a solid black with brown highlights at the edges, but when held to light, the brown notes really come through. A little murky, but a solid-black brown. The head is a dirty tan and leaves some decent lacing.

Smell: Loads of grapefruit and citrus/floral notes from the hops. The whole thing is tempered by a slightly roasted malt profile that pulls deep hints of cocoa. A little grainy in the back. but the hops help brighten everything up a little bit.

Taste: Pretty much a spot on match for the nose. The big difference comes in the malt profile. Deeper roasted notes come through, but everything seems mired in the cocoa and floral hop flavors. It's a little muddled overall. The hops add a nice touch, saving this thing from being a mediocre roasted wannabe hop bomb.

Mouthfeel: Relatively smooth with a little dryness on the back of everything. Not quite as heavy as I like for the style, but it brought a certain refreshing quality that I was not expecting.

Overall: It's not a top-tier take on the style, but for $5-$6 a bomber, it's really worth the pickup. It won't break the bank and it's a rewarding experience all said and done. (1,175 characters)

Wow, I keep digging up really old notes. This bottle is thanks to JohnGalt1 and was reviewed sometime in February or March most likely.

The head is the color of antique lace. The beer is blackish in the shadows, though held to light it is a murky black tea color with good clarity.

Floral hops to this one. They are very herbal in aroma, not really any citrus of pine going on. The aroma actually reminded me a lot of a porter (which I am sure is of little surprise to some given the style). Roast and dark malts solidify this assertion.

The taste features some bitter coffee and mild chocolate. Again, really heavy dark malts in this one. The hops are a tad vegetal with appreciable bitterness.

Gritty char on the mouthfeel. Medium bodied with light carbonation for a CDA.

Overall not bad; definitely a maltier take on the style. Though I would have preferred a more crisp and hoppy beer. (894 characters)

T: Begins off-dry, with estery hop aromatics that are slightly dizzying in their variety, showing spicy herbaceous, earthy, and floral qualities as well as lesser citrus. Flavors focus more on the vegetal in the middle, staying fresh but showing a little astringency before moderate bitterness develops into the finish.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, wet and slightly resinous on the palate while acidity remains restrained, with low carbonation.

D/O: While not among the top tier of black IPAs, this beer is interesting in its own right. It begins in remarkable fashion, with the marriage of esters and dynamic--bordering on schizophrenic--hop flavors, although the rest of the sensory profile is less noteworthy. (997 characters)

A: Beer is a dark reddish brown, not quite as dark as mahogany, and easily the lightest Cascadian Ale I have ever seen. Forms a fairly substantial tannish head that slowly reduces down to a ring around the edge and some patchy lacing.

S: Toast, coffee, and citrusy hops.

T: A very weak malt base allows the generous grapefruit and citrus hops to come through. Some sweetness on the front end. A strong, burnt coffee bitterness on the back end. Faintly metallic.

M: Medium in body with appropriate carbonation. Dry bitterness on the finish.

O: At first I found this beer intriguing as I appreciated it for being one of the most IPA-like Cascadian Ales I have experienced. However, the novelty quickly wore off as the unbalanced flavors took a toll on my palate. In the end, I can't say this was an overly enjoyable beer. (826 characters)

- from the notes and from a 22 ounce bottle in a 20 ounce glass.A - dark brown to near black with a decent head and little lacing.S - malts, roasted malts, and hops.T - adequate malts and hops to fit the 'style'.M - on the lighter side with plenty of carbonation.D - not bad at all. (287 characters)

A: Pours a very dark reddish-brown with a thin dark tan head that faded into a bubbly film.S: Hoppy notes of smelly herbal and earthy hops reminiscent of hops' danker more herbal cousin. T: Note very potent in the flavor department but it's definitely hoppy. Hops are earthy and balanced by some subtle dark malt in the finish. Finish is thin and lightly bitter. Very straightforward and not complex. M: Thinnish body, good bubbly carbonation and a light mouthfeel. O: Easy to drink, not a bad ipa but pretty average. (581 characters)

Mouth is a bit fuller bodied, fluffy like a bit of an oatmeal stout, and decent carbonation.

Overall it wasn't bad, not great, but better than what I expected for the current rating. It's in its own ballpark flavor wise, fluffy, light cocoa, nougat, and roast, nice cascade family hops, decent bitterness, maybe a bit sticky on the finish, but otherwise pretty good. (1,203 characters)